Appeal to find missing tortoises (From Gazette Series)

Appeal to find missing tortoises

AN URGENT appeal is being made by a Wickwar woman to trace two unusual family pets.

Christine Quinn, contacted the Gazette after her pet tortoise were stolen from her home in the village over the weekend.

"I bought Jane and Tarzan when I was young girl," she said. "One of them was bought on the way to school and I brought it back in my satchel and the other was given to me by a friend so they are very precious to me."

The reptiles, which weigh over 5lbs each, are believed to have been taken sometime on Friday when Mrs Quinn, 58, and her husband David were on holiday on the West Coast.

"We were celebrating David's retirement from the MOD and this was the second time that we had gone on a short trip in ten years because I have always worried about leaving the animals," Added Mrs Quinn.

The couple's son Andrew had been left to look after the tortoise.

"He only went to the village shop briefly and when he returned the tortoise had gone," said Mrs Quinn.

She added that the pair, worth hundreds of pounds, would be worthless to somebody who did not know how to look after them.

She said: "I have looked after them all my life and they have special dietary requirements. They need warmth and the sun and one of them needs hand feeding because she is losing her sight.

"My fear is that they will not be cared for and will just die," she added.

Both reptiles are unusual because of their breeding and age as it is now illegal to import tortoise and sell them in Britain.

Jane is described as a Mediterranean Spur-thigh tortoise while Tarzan is a Hermann tortoise.

So desperate is Mrs Quinn to retrieve her pets she is offering a reward to anybody with information on their whereabouts.

"I am devastated and just want them back," she said. "We won't ask any questions and just want somebody to come forward to help us find them."

Anybody with information on Tarzan and Jane is asked to phone Mrs Quinn on 01454 299091.